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This month, the Burmese government and the Kachin Independence
Organization will hold their second round of negotiations so far
this year. The long-running Kachin conflict has resulted in more than 100,000
internally displaced people, and a permanent cease-fire between
the parties is desperately needed.
The fact is that the decision lawmakers make today could change the
nature of American global leadership for years or decades to come.
Politicians and top officials in Washington have made many strong statements regarding the crisis in Mali. But the U.S. strategy on the ground remains vague.
Life in a displaced persons camp is not easy. Even for the strongest of
the strong, surviving in an insecure and inhospitable camp is both
physically and emotionally grueling. But for the elderly, disabled, or ill, the demands of camp life can seem insurmountable.
The U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs will hold a hearing tomorrow
to press the Obama administration on its plans “to work with African
forces to rid the region of militants,” in the words of the committee’s
chairman, Ed Royce. The hearing will most likely focus on security and
counter-terrorism, but there are humanitarian concerns that must not be
neglected.
